1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to new, distinct and stable cultivars of no-heat Jalapenos. No-heat Jalapeno pepper plants produce a pepper fruit which is absent of capsaicinoids such as capsaicin, dihydrocapsaicin, nordihydrocapsaicin, homocapsaicin and homodihydrocapsaicin. The no-heat Jalapeno fruit characteristic has been combined with many other known and desirable Jalapeno fruit characteristics including fruit shape, color, surface skin smoothness, flesh thickness and size.
The present invention also relates to methods for the breeding of no-heat fruit characteristics into Jalapeno cultivars. The present invention also relates to food products containing no-heat Jalapenos.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pepper and Pepper Flavor
The cultivated pepper, Capsicum annuum, is an important spice crop in the United States. There are many varieties of Capsicum, each adapted to produce a fruit for different purposes such as, for example, fresh consumption, dried spice or pickling. Varieties or cultivars of hot peppers are in everyday use include, for example, Anaheim, Ancho, Cascabel Cayenne, Charleston hot, Cherry, Chilaca, Chipotle, Fresno, Gaujillo, Habanera, Jalapeno, Pasilla and Pepperoncini. Of the many varieties or cultivars, Jalapeno is one of the most important and popular commercial peppers. Named after Jalapa, the capital of Veracruz, Mexico, Jalapeno peppers range from hot to very hot. Jalapeno peppers are consumed fresh, canned, and pickled. In addition, Jalapenos are used in a variety of sauces and in a multitude of cuisines.
The desirable qualities of a pepper are different depending upon the use and the individualized taste of each consumer. For some qualities of the fruit, such as heat, there is no consensus as to the proper amount. A Capsicum fruit that is too mild for one consumer may be extremely hot, unpalatable and irritating for another consumer.
The hot flavor of Capsicum is due to capsaicinoids, a family of chemical compounds. The flavors from capsaicinoids have been referred to by many terms, including heat, hotness, spiciness, pungency and chili (chile, chilli). Numerous terms such as sweet, no-heat, non-pungent and mild have also been used to describe low or undetectable levels of capsaicinoids. As a spice, capsaicinoids can produce a burning sensation in the mouth, causing the eyes to water, the nose to run, and in high amounts even induce perspiration. Capsaicinoids in peppers are produced in the cross wall placenta of a pepper fruit.
Because of the highly individualized, highly variable but narrow range between desirable taste and irritation for each individual, and because cultivated peppers are inconsistent in their capsaicinoid content, even from within the same field, it has been difficult to market food products comprising chili peppers with a uniform level of heat.
Analysis of Pepper Heat
The heat, or hot taste, in a Capsicum fruit has been established as a mixture of seven homologous branched chain alkyl vanillylamides named capsaicinoids. Capsaicin (C) (Merck Index, 11th edition, 1767), dihydrocapsaicin (DC), norhydrocapsaicin (NC), homocapsaicin (HC) and homodihydrocapsaicin (HDC) are the most prevalent and most important capsaicinoids for the hot flavor of peppers.
The hotness or heat of Capsicum fruit as a whole may be measured and compared by the Scoville heat test and expressed as Scoville heat unit. Even at dilutions of capsaicinoids down to 1 part in 16 million, a sensation of warmth may be detected by a human taster. The original Scoville heat test was an organoleptic test but Scoville heat units are now measured using high performance liquid chromatography determination of total capsaicinoids. Under the new test, total capsaicinoid content is measured in parts per million (ppm). One ppm is roughly equivalent to about 15 Scoville heat units. A hot pepper, such as habaneros, may have about 200,000 to about 300,000 Scoville heat units. Pure capsaicin has a Scoville heat unit score of about 16 million.
The amount of heat of a Capsicum fruit is affected both by genetic and environmental factors. Weather conditions, growing conditions and fruit age all contribute to the capsaicinoid content of a Capsicum fruit. Within a field and even within a fruit, the concentrations of capsaicinoids may be inconsistent. Known variables which affect heat content of Capsicum fruit include growth conditions such as moisture, temperature, light and fertilizer. Thus, it is difficult for providers of Capsicum fruit, and product comprising Capsicum fruit, to maintain product uniformity with regard to heat content. Neither cooking nor freezing diminishes capsaicin's intensity. The heat of Jalapeno peppers can only be reduced slightly by removal of the placenta from the fruit. While capsaicinoids may be removed from peppers through processes such as extraction, these processes are not economically feasible.
The inability to control the capsaicinoids (heat) content of peppers represents a major problem for food producers. At one concentration capsaicinoids are enjoyed as a spice, but at higher concentrations they are powerful irritants. The level differentiating spice from irritants is different for each individual. Further, many consumers cannot tolerate any capsaicinoids. Because of the variable heat content nature of peppers, and because of the variable consumer tolerance level for capsaicinoids, it is difficult to produce a food product with a uniform level of capsaicinoids without expensive and time consuming taste testing and HPLC or LC analysis.